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Decline in hunting

Ohiosam

*Supporting Member*
11,708
191
Mahoning Co.
Conducted every five years since 1995, the latest national survey shows a 20% drop in big game hunters since 2011.

The US Census Bureau at the request of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has performed the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation Report every five years since 1955. Preliminary findings of the 2016 National Survey were issued in August 2017. The final, more detailed report of estimates will be available online in December at http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/home.html. Conservation Force has always monitored the reports closely because of misrepresentations and misinterpretations of the reports. This time there seems to be reason for concern that big game hunting, which hit a high point in 2011, is now in decline.

The new report estimates that in 2016 there were 11.5 million hunters as a class who spent an average of 16 days pursuing wild game and expended $25.6 billion hunting at an average of $2,237.00 per hunter. The reported 20 percent decline in the number of big game hunters, a decline of 2.362 million, is the focus of this article. Analysis of expenditures, time in nature, fishing, and the broader wildlife-associated recreation will better come from the "final" report in December.

No one spends more time afield or money on their nature-related activity than hunters. So a decline in the number of hunters is concerning. The number of hunters has gone from 13.034 million in 2001, down to 12.510 million in 2006, up to 13.674 million in 2011, and now down to 11.5 million in 2016. The surprise increase from 12.510 million to 13.674 million from 2006 to 2011 has now dropped off to 11.5 million in 2016. That is 2.174 million down from five years ago. It can be viewed as a smaller loss of 1.310 million in 10 years if one prefers to compare this new survey with 2006 for the longer 10-year trend.

Read more here
http://www.huntingreport.com/conservation_force.cfm?id=463
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
True but is it possible those hunters moved from big game to small game hunting? I quit deer hunting and moved to waterfowl hunting a few years ago.

Big game hunting has rapidly become a “pay to play” type of hunting. Land is getting locked up more and more every day. The orange army is also becoming a thing of the past...sharing hunts and getting people into hunting has become a cut throat business. Throw the dwindling deer herd into the mix and you have a disaster awaiting. The sky is falling with the future of big game hunting. It is no longer driven by the hunt or pursuit, it’s driven by money and antlers now.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. I was out bird hunting. I saw three other bird hunters. The public lands were void of any small game hunters. That, friends, is why hunting as a whole is on the decline. The switch to deer hunting away from small game hunting is devastating. People lease ground to keep others away from "their deer". And those very same lease holders would not dream of taking off in search of small game for fear of pushing out "Droopy" or "Stickers". Chasing deer is fun, but in today's world it's a solitary thing, usually. It paves the way for the golden rule; only those with enough gold rule, or in this case, participate in hunting.
 

giles

Cull buck specialist
Supporting Member
Time as in less due to other obligations...

I’d call that priorities. For example, I used to take the entire week of gun season off. This year I’m only taking one or two days. With the lack of campfire friends these days, I choose to take my days in other places to get my “deer camp” experience. My priorities have changed as I’d rather sit around with you guys now and talk about the good old days.

20 years ago would’ve been a completely different experience with Michael Lee’s buck being in camp...that’s even in our own group of “elites”. BTW, that jaw aging came back...that deer was 4.5 years old.

Not sure what direction I’m going with all this, just rambling I guess.
 

Wmiller07

Member
1,132
30
Yesterday was Thanksgiving. I was out bird hunting. I saw three other bird hunters. The public lands were void of any small game hunters. That, friends, is why hunting as a whole is on the decline. The switch to deer hunting away from small game hunting is devastating. People lease ground to keep others away from "their deer". And those very same lease holders would not dream of taking off in search of small game for fear of pushing out "Droopy" or "Stickers". Chasing deer is fun, but in today's world it's a solitary thing, usually. It paves the way for the golden rule; only those with enough gold rule, or in this case, participate in hunting.

On public ground? I always heard Thanksgiving morning was a war zone.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
True but is it possible those hunters moved from big game to small game hunting? I quit deer hunting and moved to waterfowl hunting a few years ago.
Huge declines in big and small game numbers. Increases in waterfowl and "other" such as coyote, groundhog and raccoon from 2006 -2016. However numbers are down from 2011-2016 across the board to include waterfowl and other.
 

bigten05

*Supporting Member*
3,675
151
knox county ohio
We are definitely a dying breed. And it will really show this next week during gun week. I remember growing up gun week there was people everywhere. Now it seems like my family is one of the only groups around that still do it all week. Numbers are down and access like you guys said but also the kids just aren't into it like back in the day. I'm only 30 and things have changed a bunch since I started when I was 7.
 

Wmiller07

Member
1,132
30
I'm always surprised more deer hunters that like the "deer camp" stuff don't try waterfowl. You get to shoot the bull, eat,etc until the birds show up. Even if they don't it's still fun joking around with your buddies.
 

bigten05

*Supporting Member*
3,675
151
knox county ohio
I'm always surprised more deer hunters that like the "deer camp" stuff don't try waterfowl. You get to shoot the bull, eat,etc until the birds show up. Even if they don't it's still fun joking around with your buddies.

I've just started getting into waterfowl last year I enjoy it quite a bit. Me and my brothers gonna get after them after gun week.
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
On public ground? I always heard Thanksgiving morning was a war zone.

It was, years ago. Now there are few small game hunters around here. I killed a really good buck off Paint Creek WA in 1996. I had two different small game hunter by me that morning. Now that area is full of nonresident trucks and they are hunting deer. I can guarantee none of them go home complaining about small game hunters.
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,743
274
North Carolina
I’d call that priorities. For example, I used to take the entire week of gun season off. This year I’m only taking one or two days. With the lack of campfire friends these days, I choose to take my days in other places to get my “deer camp” experience. My priorities have changed as I’d rather sit around with you guys now and talk about the good old days.

20 years ago would’ve been a completely different experience with Michael Lee’s buck being in camp...that’s even in our own group of “elites”. BTW, that jaw aging came back...that deer was 4.5 years old.

Not sure what direction I’m going with all this, just rambling I guess.

Yep, probably should of used priorities vs time....
 

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
Supporting Member
56,743
274
North Carolina
It was, years ago. Now there are few small game hunters around here. I killed a really good buck off Paint Creek WA in 1996. I had two different small game hunter by me that morning. Now that area is full of nonresident trucks and they are hunting deer. I can guarantee none of them go home complaining about small game hunters.

Small game hunters did more for deer hunters then they realized.... Nothing gets deer moving like beagles on bunnies...
 

Wmiller07

Member
1,132
30
It was, years ago. Now there are few small game hunters around here. I killed a really good buck off Paint Creek WA in 1996. I had two different small game hunter by me that morning. Now that area is full of nonresident trucks and they are hunting deer. I can guarantee none of them go home complaining about small game hunters.

Maybe it depends where you go. I had a buddy go a couple of years ago and said it was nuts. Also just out of curiosity if you have a dog and pheasant hunt one of the release sites how long is that area huntable. As in can you get birds a week after release, two weeks, a month?